For those that might have missed the first post in this series you can catch up here but essentially throughout this year one of our main focuses here will center around creating peaceful organized homes (POH for short) so that upon entering we immediately sigh and say “ahhh home!”. That’s what I want for you and you and you.

So the other day I’m sitting in my living room in my small comfy recliner as I tend to do and something just felt off to me. I was looking around the room and it just felt heavy to me. And because my living room isn’t cluttered with stuff on the floors or piled on the coffee table, I was having trouble putting my finger on what it was.

So I took a picture.

Sometimes we get so use to seeing our spaces that we begin to glaze over the clutter that surrounds us.

See your space with fresh eyes by taking a picture of the room and studying it that way.

What I saw in my living room was that I had too many dark decor items out that were weighing the room down. My living room doesn’t get a lot of natural light and it doesn’t help that I have a brown couch and loveseat (they were the cheapest thing we could find when we first moved to Alberta and were straddling two mortgages). PLUS the recliner chair my hubby bought me for my birthday last year is also brown (it was the only color the store had) so you can imagine the how I might be feeling like I really needed to lighten things up. And while getting new furniture was out of the question I knew I could do something about my decor pieces.

It was time to edit. Rather than replace the items that felt dark to me I decided to just do a purge of the things that I felt no longer belonged.

I removed 5 things which quite honestly wasn’t easy because I loved everything in my space. However, some of the pieces were originally purchased for my living room in my BC home which was double the size AND had two floor to ceiling windows so the natural light was out of this world. The picture you see below includes some of the things that were removed from not only my living room but after I started removing items and feeling lighter, I couldn’t stop. Around my home I walked grabbing things, rearranging things. Gosh it felt amazing. And the trick was just getting started. Once I got going, I was on a roll.

The live, love, laugh frames and the faith blocks were a couple of my favorite things. But they never did feel right in this home and most importantly:

I just wanted a lighter more calming space and the best way to do that is with LESS stuff.

This purging thing is brilliant really. My rooms feel lighter and as a result I feel lighter and more able to relax and find peace in my home.

And while you might have more to remove and are feeling overwhelmed by it, don’t be discouraged. Edit out five things today, add them to your donation station. Then the next day do five more things.

When you feel yourself start to breathe again and you no longer feel stressed about it, you’ll know you’re done.

Moral of this story.

Take a picture of the rooms in your home.

Determine what it is about your space(s) that doesn’t belong and causes you stress.

Edit your stuff and breathe new life into a space with LESS in it.

Feel calmer and more relaxed.

Ahhh! Home

What five things can you remove from one room RIGHT NOW? Go do it now. Go on. I’m waiting. What did you let go off? Tell me about it or post a picture to the Organizing Junkie Facebook page. Be proud of your accomplishment today (and let us celebrate with you!) and remember the ultimate goal is for your home to be a peaceful relaxing sanctuary. Now doesn’t that feel amazing!

I thought this TEDx Talk video was awesome and really related to what we are talking about in this series. I wanted to share it with you here to help inspire you on your journey to simplicity and peacefulness. It’s called Sell Your Crap. Pay Your Debt. Do What You Love.

I was feeling the same. Too much stuff in my space and I feel like I’m on visual overload. Last month I played the minimalist game and I’m finding it hard to stop. Not that I have a lot of clutter,but it is amazing how much stuff you accumulate in the course of a lifetime. Today I looked at my space and smiled! I feel happier,more focused yet so much freer at the same time. I want to be sooooo POH!!!

I love this video. Thanks for sharing. We sold our front loader washer once for a down payment for a rental at a South Carolina beach . I never miss that smelly washer and I have wonderful memories of that beach vacation with family! We bought a much more practical washer for far less money and will never buy such an expensive washer ever again. I agree, we should be making memories and experiences instead of collecting STUFF and going into debt!

We all know that sometimes less is more. And, according to me, when we talk about decoration this is my motto. I don’t like to have many things in the room because this makes it look crowded and messy. And it is true that removing items from the room costs nothing so everyone can afford it. :)

Absolutely loved the Ted talk! So true. I struggle lots with anxiety and live in a small home with my husband and three teenagers. I am so much happier when my life is not cluttered with stuff. I chose my family over my things and have very little stuff compared to most people I know. It helps that I am not very sentimental about stuff:)

I just found half a dozen things by really looking at the things that are already out on display, that weren’t already designated to go out (the skip is coming at the weekend, assuming that everything goes according to plan). That was freeing. I’ll do that again and again, I think, until everything is genuinely what I love!

One of the things is a book that I got free at a charity shop because it had a big hole cut out of it in the middle. I genuinely kept that! It didn’t cost me any money and it’s useless for me because the thing I wanted it for is completely ruined by this hole! Why am I keeping that? Ugh! Thanks for that!